Tanya Wills, Founder
- Mother of two
- Certified Nurse-Midwife (CNM)
- Women's Healthcare Nurse Practitioner (WHNP-BC)
- International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC)
- Certified Childbirth Educator
- Certified CPR Instructor (American Heart Association)
- Certified Sacred Birth Counselor
Tanya Wills is a graduate of the midwifery program at Yale School of Nursing, where she received her Master of Science in Nursing and also earned her R.N. (Registered Nurse).
A former actress, Tanya was drawn to this work after the powerful birth of her son, Milo, in 2008. She completed her initial birth and postpartum doula training with Debra Pascali-Bonaro through DONA, International. She went on to complete her holistic doula training with Whapio Diane Bartlett through The Matrona deepening her capacity to nurture and connect with couples and their babies while reaffirming her belief in the human instinctual knowledge of how to birth.
Tanya obtained her Certified Lactation Counselor credential in 2010 through Healthy Children's Center for Breastfeeding enabling her to provide evidence-based lactation support and received additional training while at Yale with Julie Bouchet-Horwitz at Hudson Valley Breastfeeding as an IBCLC candidate. She trained as a midwife's assistant with Ina May Gaskin and other midwives at The Farm.
Tanya completed the Sacred Birth Mentor Program in 2014 with Stephanie Dawn as her mentor, earning her certification as a Sacred Birth Counselor. With a background in theatre, she brings warmth and a sense of humor to her classes and clients. Now a mother of two, Tanya balances her time working with pregnant folks and their partners with her own midwifery and lactation work, teaching, and learning from people who are in the process of giving birth. "I feel so privileged to be doing this important work."
Tanya practices as a home birth midwife and also provides annual gyn care, primary care, and lactation consultations through Manhattan Birth Midwifery.
Sarah Lovell, Instructor
Comprehensive Childbirth Prep, Infant/Toddler CPR
Sarah Lovell is an experienced doula who came to this work with a background in holistic health. Having managed natural health clinics since 2005, Sarah passionately believes in the body’s innate abilities and loves empowering others to have the same faith in themselves.
Beyond doula training, she has completed additional courses in breastfeeding support, Acupressure for Pregnancy, Labor & Postpartum as well as Childbirth Education. "Teaching the Comprehensive Childbirth Class has been one of the most rewarding additions to my birth work as I get to reach so many families with evidence based information (and a touch of humor) and watch them go on to have beautiful, empowering experiences."
A bit of a wandering spirit, Sarah is from Maine but has lived in Boston, Denmark and Vancouver, Canada before arriving in Inwood.
"Our society bombards us with such negative images of birth, it has been such a blessing for me to be able to tell someone, 'I know you can do this.' and see them do something they never thought they could."
- DONA-Trained Birth Doula offering support in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx
- Certified Lactation Counselor
- Certified CPR Instructor (American Heart Association)
Sarah Lovell is an experienced doula who came to this work with a background in holistic health. Having managed natural health clinics since 2005, Sarah passionately believes in the body’s innate abilities and loves empowering others to have the same faith in themselves.
Beyond doula training, she has completed additional courses in breastfeeding support, Acupressure for Pregnancy, Labor & Postpartum as well as Childbirth Education. "Teaching the Comprehensive Childbirth Class has been one of the most rewarding additions to my birth work as I get to reach so many families with evidence based information (and a touch of humor) and watch them go on to have beautiful, empowering experiences."
A bit of a wandering spirit, Sarah is from Maine but has lived in Boston, Denmark and Vancouver, Canada before arriving in Inwood.
"Our society bombards us with such negative images of birth, it has been such a blessing for me to be able to tell someone, 'I know you can do this.' and see them do something they never thought they could."
Yiska Obadia-Gedal, Instructor
Comprehensive Childbirth Prep, Comforting Touch for Babies
Yiska Obadia-Gedal is a NY State licensed acupuncturist, prenatal and therapeutic massage therapist and birth doula. As a massage therapist since 1995 and friend, she attended her first birth in 2001. Awed by the power and beauty of that experience, she attended a doula training program to learn more about the ways she could support mothers and families in the birth process.
Bringing together her various skill sets has been an integrative experience, enabling Yiska to serve her clients in a variety of ways, inside and outside of birth. Most recently she has been teaching other doulas and partners how to provide the kind of comforting touch she uses during birth to make birthing women feel most deeply supported and soothed.
Yiska has a home office and lives on the Upper West Side with her husband. She is an advocate for self-care and doing whatever it takes to have the support we need. The seeming paradox of birth is one of being simultaneously powerful and vulnerable. It is this special combination of both needing support and being infinitely strong and capable that Yiska finds especially inspiring about birth.
She feels honored to do this work and is so grateful to be a part of the Manhattan Birth community.
- Licensed Acupuncturist (L.Ac.)
- Prenatal Therapeutic Massage Therapist
- DONA-Trained Birth Doula offering support in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx
Yiska Obadia-Gedal is a NY State licensed acupuncturist, prenatal and therapeutic massage therapist and birth doula. As a massage therapist since 1995 and friend, she attended her first birth in 2001. Awed by the power and beauty of that experience, she attended a doula training program to learn more about the ways she could support mothers and families in the birth process.
Bringing together her various skill sets has been an integrative experience, enabling Yiska to serve her clients in a variety of ways, inside and outside of birth. Most recently she has been teaching other doulas and partners how to provide the kind of comforting touch she uses during birth to make birthing women feel most deeply supported and soothed.
Yiska has a home office and lives on the Upper West Side with her husband. She is an advocate for self-care and doing whatever it takes to have the support we need. The seeming paradox of birth is one of being simultaneously powerful and vulnerable. It is this special combination of both needing support and being infinitely strong and capable that Yiska finds especially inspiring about birth.
She feels honored to do this work and is so grateful to be a part of the Manhattan Birth community.
Erica St. Lawrence, Instructor
Childbirth Weekend Intensive, Newborn Care, CPR, Toddler Talk + Play Group
Erica St. Lawrence is an experienced birth and postpartum doula, a Certified Breastfeeding Counselor and a pediatric R.N. who has spent the last 10 years caring for hundreds of NYC families both in the hospital and at home.
Erica loves working with families at all stages, giving parents the knowledge, peace of mind and support to birth and nurture their babies with confidence. With her practical, non-judgmental, evidence-based and warm-hearted approach, Erica is passionate about helping you welcome your child into your life and easing your transition into parenthood.
- Registered Nurse
- Birth and Postpartum Doula
- Certified Breastfeeding Counselor
Erica St. Lawrence is an experienced birth and postpartum doula, a Certified Breastfeeding Counselor and a pediatric R.N. who has spent the last 10 years caring for hundreds of NYC families both in the hospital and at home.
Erica loves working with families at all stages, giving parents the knowledge, peace of mind and support to birth and nurture their babies with confidence. With her practical, non-judgmental, evidence-based and warm-hearted approach, Erica is passionate about helping you welcome your child into your life and easing your transition into parenthood.
Grace Veras Sealy, Instructor
Childbirth Weekend Intensive
Grace is an experienced birth, postpartum doula and lactation counselor. She has taught childbirth, newborn care and breastfeeding/chestfeeding classes at a large NYC hospital, and other childbirth education centers, as well as privately, to hundreds of students. Grace loves to share useful, clear, realistic, judgement- free information to help students and clients feel empowered in the process of having their babies and in making the decisions that inevitably arise while doing so, leading to better birth experiences.
Beyond teaching Grace is an active postpartum doula and does lactation home visits in Brooklyn, Manhattan and parts of Queens. She lives in Ditmas Park, Brooklyn, with her husband and 2 daughters.
- Certified Birth and Postpartum Doula
- Certified Lactation Counselor
- Newborn Care Specialist
- Lamaze Certified Childbirth Educator
Grace is an experienced birth, postpartum doula and lactation counselor. She has taught childbirth, newborn care and breastfeeding/chestfeeding classes at a large NYC hospital, and other childbirth education centers, as well as privately, to hundreds of students. Grace loves to share useful, clear, realistic, judgement- free information to help students and clients feel empowered in the process of having their babies and in making the decisions that inevitably arise while doing so, leading to better birth experiences.
Beyond teaching Grace is an active postpartum doula and does lactation home visits in Brooklyn, Manhattan and parts of Queens. She lives in Ditmas Park, Brooklyn, with her husband and 2 daughters.
Jenny Langbehn, Instructor
Childbirth Weekend Intensive, CPR
- Certified Advanced Holistic Doula
- Certified Lactation Counselor
- Childbirth Educator
- Midwifery Assistant
Jenny Langbehn is a Certified Advanced Holistic Doula, Lactation Counselor (CLC), Childbirth Educator (Lamaze), Midwifery Assistant ( The Farm Midwives in Tennessee), and Certified Prenatal Yoga Instructor.
Jenny supports home, birth center, and hospital birth. Her particular passion is supporting New York City families in a complex- and often overwhelming- hospital system. Meanwhile, she's in school on track to Midwifery, and is honored to be a part of the Manhattan Birth community.
Jenny is the (very) proud mother of a certain redheaded boy named Robby, born unexpectedly at 29 weeks. Robby escaped his "life pod" after 10 weeks in the NICU, and has amazed his mother ever since.
Whitney Burke, Instructor
Walking with Whitney
Whitney Burke, MSPT, is a pediatric physical therapist that graduated with her master’s degree from Northeastern University in 2006. She started her career working at Blythedale Children's Hospital in Westchester, New York where she gained extensive training in neuro-developmental treatment. In 2008, Whitney founded her private practice, Whitney Burke Physical Therapy, based in New York City’s Upper East Side.
Whitney specializes in providing physical therapy to children birth to 3 years of age diagnosed with a range of developmental disabilities. Over the course of the past 8 years, Whitney has worked with children of all ages and diagnoses, including, but not limited to, cerebral palsy, torticollis, stroke and hemiparesis, traumatic brain injury, Down’s syndrome, epidermolysis bullosa, William’s syndrome, Prader-Willi syndrome, developmental delay, autism spectrum disorder, and other orthopedic conditions.
As a result of Whitney frequently seeing a high number of easily preventable conditions in many of her patients, Whitney founded a parental education class in New York City called Walking With Whitney. Walking With Whitney is a baby wellness class providing parents with tools and knowledge to help prevent conditions like torticollis and plagiocephaly through education about the importance of tummy time and how to implement it into a daily routine, while also providing developmentally appropriate play activity ideas for newborns, ultimately arming parents with the knowledge on how to raise a healthy baby.
Whitney, her husband and infant daughter reside in New York City where she runs Whitney Burke Physical Therapy and teaches Walking With Whitney.
Dawn Chorba, Instructor
New Parent Support Group
Dawn Chorba, mother of two, is a Certified Holistic Birth and Postpartum Doula as well as a Certified Breastfeeding Counselor. Her other certifications and trainings include: Understanding your Newborn in the 4th Trimester: Soothing, Settling & Centering, Go Babies® Infant Developmental Movement and Yoga for Babies and The Magical Octopus: Advanced Care and Sleep for Multiples. Dawn’s first pregnancy, birth and motherhood awakened a deep passion for supporting families through what she believes is one of life`s most precious rites of passage. She believes that a huge part of her positive perinatal experiences were because of the support that she received. Dawn approaches her clients with non-judgmental support and empathy. She nurtures families as they transition into parenthood or as they add to their family, offering them evidence based information and practical solutions and helping them build confidence and tap into their intuition.
- Certified Holistic Birth + Postpartum Doula
- Certified Breastfeeding Counselor
Dawn Chorba, mother of two, is a Certified Holistic Birth and Postpartum Doula as well as a Certified Breastfeeding Counselor. Her other certifications and trainings include: Understanding your Newborn in the 4th Trimester: Soothing, Settling & Centering, Go Babies® Infant Developmental Movement and Yoga for Babies and The Magical Octopus: Advanced Care and Sleep for Multiples. Dawn’s first pregnancy, birth and motherhood awakened a deep passion for supporting families through what she believes is one of life`s most precious rites of passage. She believes that a huge part of her positive perinatal experiences were because of the support that she received. Dawn approaches her clients with non-judgmental support and empathy. She nurtures families as they transition into parenthood or as they add to their family, offering them evidence based information and practical solutions and helping them build confidence and tap into their intuition.
Tanya's class isn't a typical childbirth class that you suffer through a few times to learn some breathing exercises and find out which hospital entrance to use when in labor. It is a community of diverse, yet like-minded, couples and Tanya is a charismatic, witty and passionate teacher who infuses humor, inspiration and storytelling into her lessons. She becomes personally invested in her students and their birth and postpartum goals and uses her extensive knowledge and her connections within the birth community to help couples find the best care providers to meet these goals.
Witnessing someone who is doing her true calling in life is a rare privilege, and we are grateful to have met Tanya, as well as the other students in her class (who we now call friends).
Her class is above and beyond what you'd expect from a childbirth class. We are so glad to have taken it and were genuinely sad when it was over. Thanks, Tanya. Without this class and the supportive community you've created, our birth and our experience as new parents would not have been the same."
-Susannah and Eric